Birds of Dark Feathers
by GET'EM 64
Summary: Two solo players, and both prefer it that way. Or do they? Pairings: NSA (Not Spoiling Anything)
1. Chapter 1

Uh hey guys, It's GETEM back in the world of fanfiction, but as you can tell I'm doing something a little different. Started watching this anime on Netflix and loved it every step of the way, probably because I love video games, especially MMO's.

Anyway, I'm taking a crack at this, keep in mind I've only seen the anime, although I've done some research on the SAO wiki.

Also, any reader who knows my work, knows there will be an OC in this, now before you hit the back button here me out. I've always written OC's because they can add different dimensions to the story as we know it, especially with an anime like this, because its world is so massive, original characters make sense. Plus, I have a good track record for making original characters compelling and interesting. All I ask is that you stick with me for the first few chapters, I promise you my OC won't be overpowered or be _the_ main character or pairing. You'll have to read to see what I have planned for him.

So, enough of my ranting, please enjoy the story. It takes place right at the end of Episode 4...

* * *

Birds of Dark Feathers

Ch. 1

"So where is this flower supposed to be?"

"Right over there."

Right where the black clad male was pointing was an altar at the end of the path. Many flowers surrounded the altar and a rainbow was in the background; Silica ran over to it and watched as the item she was searching for bloomed right before her eyes.

The Pneuma Flower.

Kirito had told her that this flower could bring back her best friend Pina, who had died protecting her only a day ago. And her level wasn't the only thing that got stronger.

"Go ahead, pick it up." Kirito urged. Silica nodded to him and picked the flower, adding to her inventory.

"We should probably wait until we get to town before we revive Pina, there are some dangerous monsters that can spawn around here."

"Ok."

The duo made their way back to the warp gate, a smile plastered on Silica's face as she hummed happily. However, she was silenced when Kirito stopped her gait.

"Kirito-san, what's…"

"Whoever's hiding there, come on out…now!"

The young beast tamer's eyes widened slightly as none other than Rosalia walked out from behind the tree.

"My, my, your detection skill must be very high in order for you to see me Swordsman." The red head praised.

"Rosalia-san, what're you doing here?" Silica asked, not at all happy to see her.

"I heard that you found a rare item, it's obvious I'm here to take it from you." She sneered, making Silica gasp. Kirito stepped in front of her.

"You aren't taking anything from anyone Rosalia…or should I say leader of the orange guild, Titan's Hand?"

Rosalia paused, "Oh my, you're quite the detective. You figured me out huh?"

"Wait, her player indicator is green!" Silica observed.

"That's the point, she finds and leads other players along to where her men are stationed for an ambush. She doesn't have to get her hands dirty."

Rosalia put a hand on her hip, "Despite knowing all this, you still decided to stay with the "Dragon Tamer", did she seduce you or are you that dumb?" She asked, mocking Silica's moniker.

Kirito smirked, "Wrong on both accounts, I'm here for my own reasons, you remember the Silver Flags?"

The redhead only played with her hair, "No, can't say I don't. You trick people for so long, you don't really remember faces or names."

"Well, the guild master lived. He travelled everywhere, from the warp gate to the frontlines, on his knees begging anyone who looked strong to avenge his friends. But you should thank him."

"And why is that Swordsman?" The guild leader sighed, clearly bored with the conversation.

"He doesn't want you to die, only to rot in prison…and that's what I'm going to do. You're going to feel the despair and helplessness he felt as your cronies killed his friends." Kirito finished sternly, drawing his sword.

Rosalia laughed, "I don't care how he felt, I only care about his money and valuables, which I have, but enough about that weakling, worry about yourself…" She snapped her fingers and her guild appeared from behind all the trees, orange player icons flickered above their heads. They all chuckled with their weapons drawn.

"Give us the flower or you die…simple choice." Rosalia said darkly, licking her lips.

"This is bad…" Silica began, drawing her dagger and pulling the teleport crystal out of her pocket, only to feel the warm hand of Kirito on her head.

"No need for that now, but keep the crystal ready until I say so." He said, making his way over to the orange guild, "I'll take care of these guys, don't worry."

"No, Kirito-san!" Silica shouted with fear. But she saw the eyes widen on some of the Titan's hand members.

"Kirito?"

"One-handed sword…no shield…black clothes..."

"Oh crap, it's the Black Swordsman! Boss, we can't take this guy, he's the beater that plays solo on the frontlines, he's on the assault team!"

"No way…the assault team?" Silica uttered.

"Bullcrap, why would a frontline solider be here? Take him down and take everything he owns!" Rosalia ordered. Her men charged in and began hacking away at Kirito, slash marks appearing all over his body.

Silica placed a trembling hand on her dagger, _'I have to do something…to save him'_

But she noticed his health bar go down but then instantly refill, and the red marks on his body vanished. The guild members surrounded him, panting from their now fruitless assault.

"Come on you idiots! Kill him already!" Rosalia ordered.

"Don't waste your time, as a group, you guys can do about 400 damage every ten seconds. _Normally_, that would be pretty good…but I'm not normal."

"I'm level 78 and have 14,500 HP. My battle healing skill automatically regenerates 600 points of damage every 10 seconds, I could stand here all day and you wouldn't get anywhere." He explained.

"No way!"

"That's not possible!"

Kirito turned, glaring at the awestruck thugs, "MMO's that use the leveling system are unfair that way, get your numbers high enough and you're invincible."

The Black Swordsman reached into his coat and pulled out a large teleport crystal.

"My client spent his entire fortune on this crystal, its coordinates are set to the prison and that's where I'm taking every single one of you scumbags!" He declared, getting Titan's Hand to back off.

"Don't worry, he can't attack me or he'll turn orange…" Rosalia began, before she suddenly felt the cold steel of a blade on her neck.

"You think I'm afraid of being an orange player for a couple of days? Try me Rosalia…please try me." He muttered, his dark eyes boring holes into her pink ones.

With some fear on her face, she looked at the swordsman, and then looked into the sky and the small shape was circling above them made her eyes widen even more.

'_No…no way! I'd rather be taken in by this swordsman then him, anyone but him.'_

She bared her teeth, _'I won't give him the satisfaction.'_

Rosalia dropped her spear in defeat.

Silica was speechless, this guy was nearly invincible _and_ he was on the assault team. But he took the time to help her; despite any other things he had planned.

'_Pina, I'm going to have a story for you when you get back.'_

* * *

**_Floor 11, Aincrad Prison... _**(**AN: **I made this up, if anyone knows where the prison is, let me know, otherwise just work with me)

The cell doors slammed on the last of the Titan's Hand guild, and he slumped on the bars in defeat. The prison guards walked by all the new prisoners one last time, but Kirito stopped at Rosalia's cell, the new occupant now sporting a gray jumpsuit.

"Do you feel it Rosalia-san? Despair? Defeat?" He asked, and she only glared at him.

"You now understand how that guild master felt. Now behave yourself, and they might let you out early for good behavior."

He walked away as Rosalia growled at him. The guard opened the door and Kirito exited the cellblock. As he went through the procedure of being patted down and getting his weapons back, he couldn't help but feel…good. The past two days, helping Silica revive someone she loved, helping that guild master avenge his team…

He wasn't Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows; he knew that, that's why he was a solo player. He was a beater…an outcast with a very small and select group of friends.

"Swordsman-san."

Kirito turned to see a guard, however judging by his outfit; he was one of the higher-ups.

"We will inform the guild master of your success as requested."

"Okay, thanks. I know it might seem strange that I don't tell him myself, but I should head back to the frontlines." Kirito explained.

"No need to explain yourself to me, you did a fine service today."

The guard moved out of the way, "By the way, your friend said to wait for her, she's using the bathroom."

Kirito smirked, "Sure, I'll be outside."

As he walked out, he went back to his thoughts.

His friends…Kirito opened the menu and looked at his friends list.

Klein

Asuna

Agil

Silica

Images flashed through his mind, teaching Klein about sword techniques, Agil saving him from a certain deathblow from the Floor 1 boss Illfang, helping Silica find the Pneuma Flower and sharing in her joy of leveling up.

And Asuna…

His first team up in the game, he remembered the skill and promise she showed in the fight with Illfang, even at a low level she did better than most of the beta testers he teamed with in the beta.

'_I'm glad she took my advice, she has a lot of potential.'_

"Kirito-san!"

He was shaken out of his stupor by Silica calling his name.

"Hey there, ready to get back and revive Pina?" Kirito asked, getting an enthusiastic nod from her. They made their way over to the Teleport plaza.

"Teleport, Mishe!"

Both were consumed by a blue light and then vanished from sight. However, nearby a figure emerged from the shadows of the south prison wall. He scanned the area before going over to the plaza as well.

"Teleport, Mishe."

The figure vanished, just like the previous users.

* * *

**_Floor 35, Mishe…_**

Kirito was now leaving the inn, happy that Silica was now reunited with her dragon. Part of him wanted to stay, but he was needed on the frontlines. Despite being a solo player, he brought some firepower to the team.

As he walked along, he moved by the passing populace, he debated on restocking here, or he could go to Floor 50 and have Agil hook him up.

He reached the teleport gate plaza after some time, but an ear-piercing screech stopped his stride. He looked around only to see some NPC's pointing at the sky.

'_That doesn't sound like a human scream…'_

He looked up and saw a black shape circle him in the sky. But as he focused on it, he saw the shape had a green cursor on it.

"It's not a player, so it's a Familiar." He mused. The dark shape swooped down, revealing the form of a falcon. Kirito instinctively went to his sword, even though he was in a safe zone.

"There's no need for that Swordsman-san."

Kirito turned to see another player about fifteen feet away from him. He was wearing a hooded sapphire trench coat with a leather shoulder guard that covered his right shoulder. The coat had black buckles from the top to the bottom and the player wore a dark grey shirt underneath. The coat had black inserts and no sleeves revealing his brown complexion. He wore dark gray pants with blue boots that had black-colored steel on the soles of them. The falcon Kirito encountered circled again before landing on the shoulder guard of the stranger. The bird of prey had pure white feathers with a speckled design on its wings and underbelly. It cleaned its feathers while perched on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I hope Mokin didn't frighten you." The stranger asked, a smile flashing through the darkness of the hood.

"Takes a lot more than a bird to do that." Kirito replied, getting the falcon to stare at him. However, the figure snapped his fingers at the raptor.

"Don't stare, it's rude." He hissed at it.

"Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet the famed _Kuro no Kenshi_. My name is Ryuusei…" He trailed.

"I also go by The Sapphire Falcon, maybe you've heard of me?"

Kirito narrowed his eyes; he had heard only rumors about this guy. The falcon familiar and the blue clothes gave it away.

"Yeah, I've heard of you. You're pretty much a bounty hunter right? You hunt down orange and red players?" Kirito questioned, getting a nod from Ryuusei.

"But you don't kill them, instead you send them to prison. Heard you single-handedly dismantled the Cerberus guild too."

"Right again, it isn't my place to decide who dies in this world since we die for real, I take the losers where they deserve to go…for a price."

Kirito didn't like the last part of that, so if they don't pay up, he doesn't help them.

'_He's in it for himself, although who am I to talk?'_ He thought.

"So, what do you want from me Falcon-san?" Kirito asked. Ryuusei scanned the crowd, seeing some player icons scattered around. He didn't want to take the chance that someone had a good listening skill.

"Well I have a proposition for you, but not here. I'll rent us a room for our discussion." Ryuusei offered, making his way back to the inn. Kirito narrowed his eyes, but followed him anyway.

He'd hear him out at least.

They made it to the inn and Ryuusei paid for a room, but as they walked by, people were murmuring about them.

"I swear that's him…_Safaia no Hayabusa_"

"The falcon's a dead giveaway…"

"_Kuro no Kenshi_…crap man."

"He's kinda cute…"

Kirito blushed slightly at the last comment. They went up the stairs to the nearest room and Ryuusei shut the door behind them. Mokin flew over to the bedpost and perched itself on top.

"Was that girl talking about me or you being cute?" Ryuusei inquired.

Kirito shrugged, "Don't know, probably me since they can actually see my face."

"Good point, but anyway thanks for giving me your time." Ryuusei said, sitting down across from him and opening his menu, scrolling through his quests until he stopped at the right one.

"Before we do this…" Kirito began, "Drop the hood."

Mokin stopped grooming himself at the question.

"Why?" Ryuusei asked.

Kirito crossed his arms, "I like to know whom I'm doing business with, place the name with a face. A hood makes that awfully difficult." He reasoned with a smirk.

'_Let's see how bad he needs me to listen.'_

Ryuusei clicked his tongue; sure he was confident in his own abilities. But he wasn't prideful, he could admit when he needed help. Solo players like them were hard to come by, and having more than a few people with him would…complicate things.

It wasn't like he had anything to hide.

He sighed, "Fine."

Ryuusei lifted his hood, revealing a young face, maybe a few years older than Kirito himself. Ryuusei had short curls on top, but the sides were faded. However, Kirito didn't expect two crimson eyes to stare back at him.

"I know it's the eyes isn't it? I was wearing contacts when I put the Nervegear on." Ryuusei explained.

"Now that that's out of the way, we can begin our discussion…you interrupted my business Swordsman." He began.

"What? How did I do that?" Kirito inquired.

"In my line of work, every contract is important. Either to add to my reputation or give me money to food on the table."

Ryuusei leaned back in his chair, "I got a contract for the Titan's Hand from an anonymous client, and unfortunately I couldn't follow through since you already got them."

He changed his position in the chair, "You cost me money Swordsman-san."

Kirito glared, "So this is about money? You want me to pay you for doing your job for you?"

"Initially…yeah."

Kirito's glare became colder, but Ryuusei didn't flinch, and neither did his falcon, "Are you serious right now? You're just as bad as Titan's Hand! Kirito started, showing anger, "The guild master had nothing, just enough to buy the crystal, and you wanted to bleed him dry for your own gain."

Ryuusei turned his eyes to him, "To be fair, my price is less expensive than that warp crystal." He stated flatly.

"Plus, the money from that contract would've given me enough to buy some sweet leather armor."

"You know, you're pretty selfish."

"Perhaps you're right, call it a character flaw." Ryuusei retorted nonchalantly. Kirito was getting tired of his attitude.

"Just when I was starting to respect your work, you pull this crap. You know what? Here's your money, take it and piss off!"

Kirito harshly opened his menu and begrudgingly began the transfer.

"You're no better than Rosalia." He grumbled, but Ryuusei only stared at the ceiling with a grin.

"Funny you should say that."

He still noticed his guest ringing up an amount; Ryuusei sighed, got up and grabbed Kirito's wrist, much like how Kirito had done to Silica when she tried to pay him.

"Did you hear when I said the word "initially"? You might've been too busy thinking about the words for your little tirade. No, I have a better solution, one that will benefit both of us."

He let go of Kirito's wrist and the black clad swordsman cautiously closed his menu.

"You got five seconds."

Ryuusei gave him a mock salute.

"Yes sir, I got this quest from eavesdropping on a couple NPC's not too long ago." He began, showing Kirito the message and his quest log.

Kirito read the message:

_Player, _

_A reward for your high listening skill, a quest that will have ample rewards for you, and whomever you share this with; enter the Savage Island and seek out the boss, Grenhiem, the Dreaded._

_Good luck, you'll need it._

_Time Remaining: 2 days._

Kirito turned to the Quest Log, and he saw an identical message, but what caught his eye were the requirements.

_Tips for Success:_

_Recommended Party Size: 3-5 players._

_Recommended Average Party Level: 70_

_Stock up fully before heading out_

"…Holy crap." Kirito breathed.

"Yeah, almost dropped a brick in my pants when I saw those recommendations. Do I need to go on?" Ryuusei asked, leaning back in his chair again.

"Solo players like us are rare, we have the stones to go it alone. But we have to be smarter about what quests we do. So, will you team up with me on this quest?"

Kirito folded his hands and closed his eyes in thought, he had never heard of any event like this, the listening skill isn't a top priority for most players so they might be the only ones who know of this event, which means first pickings of potential funds and gear from the mobs and boss drops. And while his respect for the famed _Safaia no Hayabusa_ diminished a bit, he could somewhat relate to him, doing things for the wrong reasons.

A flash of the Moonlit Black Cats entered his mind, all their deaths on his hands because he lied about his level. The message Sachi left for him…

"Hey, you in or what?"

Kirito snapped out of it, Ryuusei was waiting patiently for his answer.

"How will loot be divided?" Kirito asked.

"You get the kill, you get the item. We can trade after the quest if you want. Money and XP will be split between us evenly, cool?"

Ryuusei held out his hand, and Kirito stared at it for a second before shaking it firmly, "Why not? The frontlines can survive without a slacker like me for a few days."

"Whoa, solo player _and_ on the frontlines? I'm impressed uh…"

"Kirito."

"Yes, Kirito-san. Didn't feel like calling you Swordsman-san for the whole quest."

Ryuusei tapped the mirage sphere, and the map opened up.

"So the Savage Island is an island on Floor 58, but there's a teleport plaza on Floor 57."

Kirito traced out a path, "We can take this path to get there. But it's all open sea from there, we'll need a ferry."

"We'll take part of the day to stock up and reequip, by the way, you got one to two people who want in on this?" Ryuusei posed, "I only got a few people on my friend list, some of them are in guilds and they wouldn't leave them for a second."

"And the others?"

"They aren't fighters, they're contacts mostly."

Kirito scoffed, "Don't think we can handle this ourselves?"

"Hey man, I'm being prepared, one person can be the difference between death and success. The quest said bring at least three people, we each bring someone, deal?"

"Alright, alright I get it." Kirito said, as he opened his menu to his friend list, again only seeing the same four names. He peeked over and saw Ryuusei had only a handful of friends, maybe a few more than himself.

'_Let's see, Silica is too low leveled. Agil might come, but he has his shop to worry about. Klein and Asuna are both in guilds. Hmmm…'_

Ryuusei was in thought too.

'_Nah, I don't like him enough. She's in a die-hard guild. This guy just started playing…why is he on my list then? Oh right, his mom makes good cookies. And her…I'll give a shot.'_

Ryuusei clicked a name and typed out a quick message.

"Alright, I invited one, now it's your turn Kirito." Ryuusei stated.

Kirito was low on options; it was basically down to Klein or Asuna. Both were capable fighters in their own right.

'_Klein's guild is smaller, plus he's the commander of it so I doubt he would want to leave them. So there's only one choice…'_

Kirito opened a draft and began to type.

* * *

**_Floor 55, Grandzam, Knights of the Bloodoath HQ…_**

"Gah!"

An armored body hit the floor hard. The figure tried to stand, only to see the tip of a rapier right in his face. The owner of said rapier had chestnut hair with matching eyes. Her outfit consisted of light armor and a red and white ensemble from her guild. But her hazel eyes were staring down her opponent.

"Yield."

"Okay, okay I yield."

Asuna let out a breath as she sheathed her rapier; the armored man stood up and took off his helmet.

"So that the skill of "Lightning Flash" Asuna? Amazing ma'am." The knight praised, returning his axe to its sheath.

"Thank you Ariza, that will be it for the sparring today. You're a great sparring partner." Asuna said, smiling at him.

"I appreciate that coming from you ma'am. Do you need to be escorted to your quarters?"

"No, I'll be fine."

Ariza then bowed to her and made his way out of the room, Asuna not too far behind him. Being second in command of a guild wasn't easy, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

_You can become powerful here on your own, but if the day comes someone you trust offers you to join a guild, don't turn it down._

She had kept those words in mind, and that's what got her here.

She hadn't seen Kirito a few days, not since the last boss raid and he wasn't very good at keeping in touch either. Just because he played solo didn't mean that he was always alone.

She let out a sigh, "I should probably message him, it's almost time for the next boss raid."

She reached her quarters and opened up her menu, just in time to receive a message from Kirito, however it wasn't what she expected:

_Hey Asuna,_

_I know I've been away from the frontlines for a while, but I was taking care of some things. Anyway, I ran into an interesting player and he had an equally interesting offer for me, a rare event. He asked if I had anyone else who wanted to come so…here you go, an invitation to an event. Keep in mind, its just for you, no one from your guild can see this, it'll complicate things._

_Get back to me soon, there are only two days left._

She hummed in thought, the event had her intrigued, and she guessed that the pickings would be slimmer if she involved her colleagues. But there were a lot of unknowns, like the provider of this information.

She hit the reply button and typed out a message.

_Who offered you the event?_

She sent it and after a few minutes, Kirito responded:

_Safaia no Hayabusa. _

"So another solo player, huh?" She mused to herself. She had heard of him, his name wasn't thrown around too much, but most players were aware of his existence.

But why would they need her help? Sure she was strong in her own right, but two solo players asking for a guild commander's help?

She decided to pen her question and after a minute, she got a response:

_Because you're good, strong enough to be a helpful addition, the game recommended a party of at least three people for this event._

As she finished reading, another message popped up:

_Look, I'm not going to beg you. I know you have responsibilities to your guild. If you don't want in just say so, we're pressed for time here._

She was taken aback by the abrasive message, not many people talked that way to her, and she wouldn't let anyone start now.

Oh, was she gonna give it to him…

* * *

**_A few minutes before…_**

"Wow, a little rude don't you think?" Ryuusei asked, looking over his shoulder at the message he just sent.

"We don't have much time, when did this turn into a game of twenty questions?" Kirito retorted.

"Can't she give me a yes or no."

"True, but you know women, they gotta talk about it, then think about it…then talk about it some more."

They both shared a laugh, but it was interrupted by a message from Asuna:

_First of all, be a little less rude when speaking to me. Second, I don't expect you to beg, your asking me is enough. Third, thanks for your understanding; the guild is a top priority._

_But since you and Falcon-san are in a hurry, my answer is simple._

Right when they finished reading it, they got her answer.

_Yes, I'll help. Time and place to meet?_

Kirito's eyes widened slightly, after that little rant he didn't think she would accept the offer. He began typing.

_Meet at the inn on Floor 45 at 8 AM._

He sent the message.

"Okay, so we got the Lightning Flash, the Black Swordsman and the Sapphire Falcon? I think we're good." Ryuusei said with confidence.

* * *

So what did you think? There will be a good amount of original content in this fanfic, so don't expect a lot of copy n' paste stuff from the anime. Grenhiem was just the first, and I got exciting stuff planned for that event.

Will the trio survive the event?

Will Ryuusei earn Kirito's respect again?

Will Asuna give Kirito the business when they meet again?

Find out next time.


	2. Important Author Note: Re-vamp coming!

Hey,

So even though this story is only two days old, I'm going to start fresh again. A reviewer showed me that it wasn't quite polished enough, the blatant copy n' paste probably wasn't tasteful to most readers anyway, no one wants to see that, they want fresh and original content with a good story, and that's what I want to do.

So give me some time, the new story will be under the same title, I'll leave this one up until then. Hopefully, the re-vamp will be done in a few days

GET'EM


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